Knitting machine

ABSTRACT

A cylindrical knitting machine having a dial and cap for rib knitting, the machine being provided with means for feeding three yarns simultaneously to the cylinder needles in plating relation, which means includes a throat plate having three vertically spaced feed ledges with notches at the sides, the ledges being symmetrical about the central vertical plane of the throat plate. The throat plate is centrally slotted to allow the entrance of a yarn finger having three yarn guides with outlets at three vertically spaced levels to position a yarn outlet just above each of the ledges of the throat plate. The machine will plain knit the three yarns in plated relation, or with one of the outer yarns forming terry loops.

United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,757,537 York Sept. 11, 1973 KNITTING MACHINE 2,711,090 6 1955 Marlette 66 136 x 2,789,422 4 1957 M1115 66/136 [76] Inventor. Orin R. York, 404 Royal Oak Ave., 3,274,801 9/1966 Fregeone 56/137 x High int, NC. 3,487,660 1/1970 Holder 66/19 [22] Filed: Feb. 23, 1971 [52] US. Cl. 66/9 R, 66/19, 66/125 R, 66/125 B, 66/136 [51] Int. Cl D04b 9/12, D04b 9/18, D04b 9/06, D04b 15/58 [58] Field of Search 66/136, 137, 125 B, 66/92, 9 R, 19, 125 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,584,099 5 1926 Kanen 66 136 1,662,046 3 1928 Mair 66/136 1,690,268 11 1928 Barth 66 137 x 1,745,619 2 1930 Houseman 66 137 X 2,143,630 1 1939 Nebel 66/136 x 2,436,318 2 1948 McDonough 66/136 x 2,783,629 3 1957 Lawson 66 19 x Primary ExaminerWm. Carter Reynolds Attorney-David Rabin [57] ABSTRACT A cylindrical knitting machine having a dial and cap for rib knitting, the machine being provided with means for feeding three yarns simultaneously to the cylinder needlesin plating relation, which means includes a throat plate having three vertically spaced feed ledges with notches at the sides, the ledges being symmetrical about the central vertical plane of the throat plate. The throat plate is centrally slotted to allow the entrance of a yarn finger having three yarn guides with outlets at three vertically spaced levels to position a yarn outlet just above each of the ledges of the throat plate. The machine will plain knit the three yarns in plated relation, or with one of the outer yarns forming terry loops.

9 Claims, 20 Drawing Figures Paiented Sept. 11, 1973 3,757,537

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INVENTOR ORIN R. YORK Patented Sept. 11, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 2':

H [II W47 MW 1' INVENTOR ORIN R. YORK Patented Sept. 11, 1973 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR ORIN R. YORK KNITTING MACHINE BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to knitting machines, and more particularly to rib knitting machines capable of knitting with three yarns in plated relation on the cylinder needles, one of the three yarns being knit to form terry loops.

Half hose are being made having a ribbed leg portion and a foot which is plain knit across the top and has terry loops across the bottom half of the foot, on the inside. Both the ribbed leg and the foot are knit of two yarns, usually an orlon yarn and a nylon yarn, with the orlon on the inside. While the bottom of the foot has terry loops on the inside, the outside is plain knit to match the upper part of the foot, so that the foot has a uniform appearance throughout its length. Hose of this type have a cushion feel under the foot, and the terry fabric will absorb moisture from the foot.

Hose as described above have been favorably received, and are quite extensively used by those who play golf, tennis and similar athletic games.

Nylon does not have the feel of orlon. It is much harsher to the touch, but its body, strength and wearing qualities are needed to produce a satisfactory product. Hose knit of these materials of the type above described would be even more desirable if they could have the outer appearance of orlon, together with the inner qualities of feel of orlon, coupled with the strength of nylon. To do this requires the knitting of three yarns in plated relation. No dial rib knitting machine has been capable of doing this.

BRIEF SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION Briefly, this invention relates to a cylindrical knitting machine for feeding three yarns simultaneously to the cylinder needles in plating relation including a feed finger having three vertically spaced yarn outlets for directing yarns to a throat plate having three vertically spaced yarn feed ledges. The thoat plate is provided with a groove to permit passage of the dial needles without striking the throat plate.

The sinkers of this machine have been centered between the dial needles, rather than being centered between the cylinder needles as in conventional machines, to provide better control of the stitches by the sinker nebs during the ribbing operation. In addition, the sinkers have been modified to assist in the shedding of the terry stitches and to enable the positioning of the throat plate to facilitate positioning of the yarns during the feeding operation.

A leveling ring, provided inwardly of the inside sinker ring, is positioned between the lower and middle platforms of the sinkers for preventing displacement of the sinkers inwardly and damaging the dial upon breakage of the sinker butts. In addition, the leveling ring assists in steadying and providing better control over the sinkers while shedding the stitches from the dial needles.

The general object of the present invention is to provide a knitting machine which will be capable of knitting three yams in plated relation on the cylinder needles only.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide means for feeding three yarns to the cylinder needles from three vertically spaced points to properly arrange the yarns for engagement by the needles in plating position.

Another object is to provide a rib knitting machine which has its dial cap reversed, that is its dial needle cams reversed with respect to the yarn finger and throat position, and, consequently, the cylinder needle cams repositioned to permit the use of a novel yarnguiding throat.

A still more specific object is to provide a novel single yarn finger to feed a plurality of yarns independently at different vertical levels, and a novel yarn throat to guide the independently fed yarns at different vertical levels to maintain a desired yarn placement at the cylinder needles.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a yarn throat as above described which is symmetrical about its longitudinal centerline to maintain predetermined yam separation and pattern arrangement during reciprocation of the machine cylinder in knitting heel and toe areas.

It is also an object of the invention to provide sinkers of novel shape to properly hold the plural yarns during stitch formation of regular stitches of all yarns in plated relation, and regular stiches on some yarns and terry stitches on another, while maintaining the plated relationship of the yarns.

An important feature of the invention is the positioning of the sinkers relative to the dial needles to enhance stitch control during the ribbing process.

Another feature of the invention is the provision of a novel throat plate for permitting the dial needles to pass thereby without imparting radial inward movement to the dial needles during the rib knitting.

Still another feature of the invention is the provision of a ring which steadys and levels the sinkers and prevents broken sinkers from moving inwardlyinto and damaging the dial.

Other objects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of one embodiment thereof when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of, this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a vertical section through the upper portion of a spiral knitting machine cylinder, dial, cap and associated mechanism, taken diametrically at the 'yam feed position;

FIG. 2 is a partial horizontal section showing the yarn throat plate, special yarn feeding finger and an adjacent portion of the needle cylinder, and is taken on the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is apartial vertical section taken on the line 3 -s of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3, illustrating the yarn feed fingers and throat plate in front elevation;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a special multiple yarn feed finger and improved throat plate;

FIG. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 1, showing the underside of the dial cam groove and movable cams;

FIGS. 7-A, 7-B and 7-C show diagrammatically successive positions of a cylinder needle and an adjacent sinker as multiple yarns are received by the needle and held by the sinker in proper plating relation for plain knitting of all yarns;

FIGS. 8-A and 8-3 are similar to FIGS. 7-A and 7-B, but illustrating the needle and sinker action when one of the yarns is to be knit to form terry loops;

FIG. 9 is an elevation of a sock knit on the machine of the present invention, the sock being everted to show the interior surface;

FIG. 10 is an enlarged, fragmentary perspective view illustrating the assembled relation of the sinkers, the sinker rings and the sinker leveling ring;

FIG. 11 is a sectional view illustrating the inside sinker ring and the novel sinker leveling ring;

FIG. 12 is a fragmentary plan view of the dial plate illustrating the needle latch camming groove;

FIGS. 13 are fragmentary view of the dial plate illustrating the camming action of the needle latches;

FIG. 16 is a schematic view illustrating the conventional arrangement of the sinkers being centered between the cylinder needles; and

FIG. 17 is a schematic view illustrating thenove] positioning of the sinkers between the dial needles.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring first to the half hose shown in FIG. 9, the hose 1 includes a leg 2, ankle 3, heel 4, foot 5 and toe 6. The leg is rib knit, using the dial needles and alternate cylinder needles in conventional manner. The leg is knit of two yarns, for example orlon and nylon, in plated relation to have the preferred yarn appear on the outside of the fabric. Starting at just about the ankle area, the rib knitting is stopped, and the balance of the sock is knit on the cylinder needles alone. At the commencement of knitting on the cylinder needles only, another yarn is used in conjunction with the two knit in the leg. Usually, although not necessarily, the added yarn will be the same as the outer yarn knit in the leg and knit in plating relation with the others to place the yarns of the same type on the outer and inner faces of the fabric, with the third yarn serving as a body yarn between the other two. As the knitting begins on the cylinder needles alone, the sinkers are operated to produce plain knitting around needles, predetermined arc of cylinder neeldes, and on the remainder of the cylinder needles produce plain knitting with the outer and middle yarns and terry loops with the inner yarn. In most cases, the division will be half plain knitting and half terry loops. A predetermined number of courses, for example, about 24, will be knit in this manner before reaching the heel area. Round and round knitting will then stop and the cylinder will reciprocate to form the heel pocket. All knitting in the heel pocket will contain the terry loops. After the heel pocket is completed, the machine will re-start round and round knitting as before for a sufficient number of courses to substantially complete the foot. At this point, the sinkers are operated to produce terry loops around the full circle of needles for a few courses, for example, about sixteen, to the toe, whereupon the cylinder reciprocates to form the toe pocket. Upon completion of the toe pocket, round and round knitting with terry loops about the full circle is continued for a few terminal courses to provide fabric through which the usual toeclosing seam will be stitched.

The above described hose provides a ribbed leg and a foot having a cushion sole, the terry cushion extending above the heel and completely around the toe. The entire heel, foot and toe will have inner and outer surfaces of a desired material, with a body fabric between the inner and outer fabric faces.

The basic machine for knitting the above described half-hose can be any of the well known rib knitting machines. For disclosure purposes, the standard portions shown are those of the conventional Scott and Williams machine.

The basic machine 7 shown includes a revolvable and reciprocable needle cylinder 8, mounted in the usual bed plate of the frame (not shown). The cylinder carries a full circle of independent, vertically movable latch needles 9. A sinker ring 10 encircles the cylinder 8 at its top, and carries sinkers 11 mounted for radial movement into and out of operative relation with the needles, the movement being caused by cams within a sinker cap 12 mounted upon the sinker ring. The sinker cams are controlled from the main pattern drum, as usual.

Yarn is fed to the needles by conventional yarn fingers 13 and 14 and by a special yarn finger 15 to be later described in detail. Yarn fingers l3 and 14 are pivotally mounted at 16 on the latch ring 17 which, in turn, is pivotally mounted at 18 on the latch ring post 19. The yarn finger 15 is pivotally mounted on the pivot 18 for the latch ring.

As the machine shown is a rib knit machine, it has the usual rotatable dial 20 and fixed dial cap 21, both supported by means of a bracket 22 carried by the latch ring 17. The dial is mounted on the lower end of a dial drive shaft 23, which through bevel gears 24 and 25 the shaft 23 is driven in a conventional fashion. The dial carries the normal complement of radially movable needles 26, having conventional butts (not shown) riding in a cam groove 27 in the dial cap, which groove will be described in detail.

Yarns fed by the yarn fingers i3, 14 and 15 are guided to the needles, and, when special yarn finger 15 is in operative position, plural yarns are properly spaced and arranged, by means of a throat plate 28 seated in, and fixed to, the latch ring 17 at the feed position. The throat plate has a main mounting body 29, and a downwardly extending forward lip 30. The main body of the throat plate seats within a groove 31 in the latch ring 17 in the usual position, with the bottom surface of the throat plate flush with the bottom surface of the latch ring. The main body of the throat plate is recessed centrally and longitudinally of the body from front to back, as at 32, the recess having vertical, horizontally spaced side walls 33 and a horizontal bottom, or floor, forming a yarn feeding ledge 34. The junctures of the forward edges of the sides and ledge provide opposed notches 35 and 36 in which a yarn can feed during opposite rotation of the cylinder. Ledge 34 is the main feed ledge of the throat plate.

The main body of the throat plate is slotted vertically from the fornt to a point near the back, centrally of the recess 32, completely through the floor of the body and vertically downward through the lip 30 to a point near its bottom, as at 37. The bottom 38 of the slot is enlarged laterally to provide a bottom yarn feeding floor, or ledge, 39 with opposed yarn guiding notches 40 and 41.

' Intermediate the yarn ledges 34 and 39, slot 37 is notched on either side, as at 42 and 43, to form intermediate yarn guides having a floor, or ledge, 44, with the ledges of the respective notches being in a common horizontal plane. The ledge 44 is considerably closer to the bottom ledge 39 than to the top ledge 34 to arrange the yarns in proper relationship for plating, and for forming terry loops with one yarn, as will be described. Due to the elongation of the throat plate to provide the downwardly extending lip 30, the front face of the lip has horizontal grooves 45, located between the upper and intermediate yarn ledges, to provide passage for the dial needles so that the needles will not strike the throat plate.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the yarn fingers l3 and 14, which are conventional feed fingers, are located on opposite sides of finger which is located centrally over the throat plate. Due to this arrangement, fingers 13 and 14, when lowered, are at opposite sides of the throat plate, and the yarns they carry run over the top ledge 34 of the throat plate. The yarn finger 15, being centrally located, can move downwardly into slot 37 in the throat plate and feed yarns over the three ledges 34, 44 and 39.

Yarn finger l5 differs from the usual feed finger, as it has provision for feeding three yarns simultaneously at three different vertical levels, to feed one yarn to each of the three ledges of the throat plate. To accomplish this, the finger has an arm 46 with a feeding head 47 at its free end, remote from the pivot 18 on the latch ring post. The head is considerably elongated in a downward direction, and the top surface 48 of the head is sufficiently long to accommodate three yam-guiding openings 49, 50 and 51 spaced in longitudinal alignment along the top surface. The openings extend in parallel relation through the head. The rearmost opening 49 extends completely through the full length of the head, opening to the bottom surface 52 which forms a bottom feeding level. The front of the feeding head extends vertically substantially parallel to the yarnguiding opening 49 for a short distance above the bottom surface 52, and there projects forwardly parallel to surface 52 to form a second, or intermediate, feeding level 53. Yarn guiding opening 50 opens at its bottom to this level, so that yarn running through the opening 50 emerges from the feeding head at a higher level than yarn running through opening 49. From feeding level 53, the front face of the feeding head rises vertically substantially parallel to the opening 50 to a point spaced from the upper surface 48 a distance approximately equal to the thickness of a conventional feed finger and then projects forward parallel to the feed level surfaces 52 and 53 to provide a third, or top, feeding level 54. Yarn guiding opening 51 opens to the feeding level 54. The front face of the feeding head rises upwardly from the feeding level 54 to the top surface 48. It will be noted that the intermediate feeding level 53 is spaced closer to the bottom level 52 than to the top level 54 in about the same ratio as the spaces between the ledges of the throat plate 28. I

When yarn finger 15 is in yarn-feeding position, the respective feed levels 54, 53, and 52 are located slightly above the ledges 34, 44 and 39, so that yarn running from the openings in the yarn finger will run over the respective ledges of the throat plate and be located in proper feeding pattern, as will be described.

Due to the fact that the throat plate 28 is larger than nonnal and'extends to a lower level, it is necessary to reverse the cam groove pattern for the dial needles to avoid the needles striking the throat plate. The underside of the dial cap 21 and the needle cam groove 55 is shown in FIG. 6. As the underside of the dial is shown, the direction of travel of the needle butts in the groove is reversed to normal needle travel, as shown by the arrow. For purposes of orientation, the centerline of the throat plate 28 is shown at 56. The groove 55 is substantially conventional in contour, and a rib cam 57 and transfer cams 58 and 59 direct the needle butts to the outer course 60 during rib knitting operation, or allow them to follow the inner course 61 when not in use. When rib cam 57 is in operative position, the needle butts will follow the outer course and move about the groove against the outer wall. This will cause the needles to be out in yam-receiving position when they arrive at the yam-feeding station. After receiving yarn, the needles 26 will be drawn in by the inwardly sloping cam surface 62 of the groove. As the dial needle action is conventional, no further description is necessary.

Reversing the dial cam pattern will cause relocation of the cylinder needle cams to maintain the same relative cam positions to retain the usual coaction between the cylinder and dial needles. As this is well within the skill of a fixer, no specific disclosure need be made.

The sinker ring 10 includes an outer ring or member and an inner ring 72, FIG. 10, for receiving the sinkers 11. Located in abutting relation inwardly of the inner ring 72, as shown by FIG. 11, is a sinker leveling ring 74 which steadys the sinkers and provides better sinker control during shedding of the stitches off the dial needles. In conventional sinkers and sinker ring arrangements, it is possible for the sinkers to move radially inwardly and damage the dial in the event of sinker butt breakage. However, the ring 74 stabilizes the sinkers and serves to automatically prevent displacement of the sinkers from the sinker ring upon breakage of the sinker butts thereby eliminating scarring or other damage to the dial.

Dial needle latch control means have been provided on the dial cap 21 for retaining the dial needle latches in an opened condition until after the yarn has been fed into the hooks of the needles. Conventional brushes may be provided at points X, FIG. 6, for opening the latches. A three dimensional groove or cam 76 directs the latches to a fully opened position, as illustrated by FIGS. 13-15, during rotary displacement of the needles in a horizontal plane. As the dial needles are moved inwardly adjacent protective cam 80, stitches thereon have a tendency to close the latches. However, as illustrated by FIG. 15 the under side or face of the fixed dial cap 21 prevents closing of the latches until they have moved past the throat plate 28, positioned at line 56 of FIG. 6, and the inwardly directed surface 78 of the dial cap 21. Therefore, it is not possible for the latches to close until new yarn is fed into the hooks.

Since the throat plate 28 is provided with the groove 45, it is not necessary that the dial needles 26 be drawn inwardly to prevent the needle hooks from striking the throat plate.

Referring to FIG. 17, the sinkers 11 have been centered equidistant between the dial needles 26, as shown. This is accomplished by turning the inside and outside sinker rings 70, 72 slightly in a clockwise direction. Positioning of the sinkers relative to the dial needles in this manner permits the sinker nebs 68 to provide better control of the stitches in the ribbing operation.

Conventional sinkers have been modified in two respects to form the sinker 11. Approximately l/l6 of an inch has been removed from the upper portion of the middle platform 81 to enable the lowering of the throat plate 28 which assists in properly positioning the yarns during the feeding process. The shoulder 82 is formed approximately midway of the upper portion of the middle platform 81. In addition, a ledge 84 has been provided on the back of the neb 68 for facilitating the shedding of the terry stitches and helps to eliminate bleeding of the terry yarn.

In operating the machine to produce the half hose shown in FIG. 9, the rib cam 57 will be in to put the dial needles into operation, and the yarn fingers l3 and 14 will be in feeding position. One or more make-up courses will be run in normal fashion to start the top of the leg. The leg will then be rib knit in selected pattern. Yarn finger 13 will feed one yarn (for example, nylon) and yarn finger 14 will feed another (for example, orlon) with the two yarns in plated relation. Both yarns will feed across the top ledge 34 of the throat plate, the yarn from finger 13 being guided in the notch 35 and the yarn from the yarn finger 14 across the ledge laterally spaced from the notch 35. Because of the spacing of the yarn feed points, the yarns will be in plating relation, with the yarn from yarn finger 14 forming the outer surface of the fabric in well known manner. The prescribed number of courses will be rib knit to complete the leg down to about the ankle at the top of a normal heel splice.

At this point in the knitting, the rib cam 57 will be moved out to take the dial needles out of action, yarn fingers 13 and 14 will be lifted to discontinue feeding their yarns, and the special yarn finger will be lowered to feeding position. When in this position, the finger will be within the slot 37 in the throat plate, and will have its three feed levels slightly above the three feed ledges of the throat plate 28, at about the position shown in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4. When the finger 15 is lowered, and the yarns fed through the yarn guide openings 49, 50 and 51 are caught by the rotating needles, the three yarns 63, 64 and 65, fed through the openings 49, 50 and 51, respectively, will be drawn in the direction of needle rotation, so that yarn 63 will move into the notch 40 at the side of the bottom ledge 39 of the throat plate, yarn 64 will move into the notch 42 of the intermediate ledge 44, and yarn 65 will move into the notch 35 of the top ledge 34. Thus, the feeding points of the yarns will immediately be fixed at three vertically spaced levels and maintained in this relation during rotation of the cylinder. Of course, during oscillation of the cylinder the yarn will move from the opposite sides of the throat plate into the notches 41, 43 and 36 when the cylinder reverses its direction, but the same feed arrangement will be maintained.

As the yarns are fed from separate levels, and the angle of flight of the yarns from the respective guide points to the needles are different, the three yarns will converge toward the needle and lie in a plane angularly displaced from the vertical, as shown schematically in FIGS. 7-A and 8-A, at the needle position. When the needle 9 is drawn down, the usual sinker cam causes the sinker 11 to move inwardly, so that the yarns will rest upon the normal body yarn surface level 66 and move into the hold-down throat 67. As the sinker continues its motions, the angular yarn feed pattern will result in the yarns lying in proper plating arrangement within the sinker throat, with yarns 63 and 65 on the outside, and yarn 64 between the other two. it will be noted that the body yarn surface of the sinker has been cut down toward the sinker point in the present embodiment to accommodate the lower bottom edge of the throat plate 28, as at 69.

During that portion of cylinder rotation when terry loops are to be formed, conventional terry cams will be moved in to move the sinker inwardly a sufficient distance to have the sinker neb 68 under the yarn 63 so that as the yarns are drawn downwardly by the needle yarn 65 will rest on top of the sinker neb while yarns 64 and 63 are brought down to the body yarn surface level 66 as before, as shown in FIG. 8-B. Here, also, the yarn loops within the needle are properly aligned in plating arrangement.

In the half hose shown, yarn 63 would be a yarn having a soft feel, such as orlon, yam 64 would be a yarn such as nylon, while yarn 65 would be the same as yarn 63. It is obvious, however, that other yarn combinations can be used, and it is not required that a terry cloth interior be provided within the foot sole. Any fabric requiring three yarns in specified plated arrangement can be knit on the machine.

While the feed finger 16 has been described in conjunction with a rib knitting machine, it is to be understood that the feed finger may be applied successfully to rubber top or dial machines.

I claim:

1. In a knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with vertically movable needles, and means adjacent the cylinder top defining a yarn-feeding station, improved yarn-feeding means at the yarn-feeding station comprising, a throat plate fixed to the machine at the yarn-feeding station and having a plurality of at least three vertically spaced yarn-feeding ledges, a passageway vertically through the forward portion of the throat plate and opening to the front of the throat plate adjacent the needles and to the yarn-feeding ledges, and yam-delivery means movable into and from the passageway and having yarn outlets at spaced vertical levels, with one of the outlets being above each of the yarmfeeding ledges of the throat plate when the yamdelivery means is positioned in the throat plate passageway, said ledges being symmetrical about the passageway to provide vertically spaced ledges on opposite sides of the passageway for locating yarn fed upon rotation of the cylinder in either direction.

2. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the yarn-feeding ledges of the throat plate terminate at their side edges remote from the passageway in yam-guiding notches in which yarns travelling from the yarn-delivery means to the cylinder needles run to maintain the yarns at spaced levels.

3. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein, the yarn-delivery means is a single yarnfeeding finger.

4. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein, the yarn-feeding finger has an arm pivoted on the knitting machine and a head at the free end of the arm, the head having yam-guiding openings extending vertically therethrough aligned longitudinally of the head, with each of the openings terminating at the bottom at a different level to provide the vertically spaced yarn outlets.

5. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein, the yarn finger has a front face which is stepped to provide stepped feed levels to which the yarn-guiding openings open respectively.

6. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim wherein, ledges of the throat plate and the stepped feed levels of the yarn finger are vertically spaced in the same order.

7. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, and further including a dial, a plurality of needles mounted for radial movement in said dial, said throat plate having a portion projecting downwardly below the level of travel of the dial needles, said throat plate defining a recess therein for receiving the dial needles during dial rotation to prevent the dial needles from striking the throat plate downwardly projecting portion.

8. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said recess comprises a horizontally extending groove for receiving the hooks of the dial needles.

9. In a knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with vertically movable needles, sinkers horizontally movable radially between the needles and having a yarn throat and upper neb, and means adjacent the cylinder top defining a yarn-feeding station, improved yarn-feeding means at the yam-feeding station comprising, a throat plate fixed to the machine at the yarnfeeding station and having three vertically spaced yarnfeeding ledges, and means to deliver yarn at each of the three throat plate ledges for feeding to the needles, the vertical spacing of the ledges causing yarn fed from the lowermost ledge to approach the needles at a low elevation, yarn fed from the uppermost ledge to approach the needles at a high elevation, and yarn fed from the intermediate ledge to approach the needles at an intermediate elevation, with the three yams as they approach the needles lying in a common plane diverging upwardly from the needles, whereby the needles when moved down will align the yarns in plating relation for entry into the sinker throat when the sinkers are in one position, and align the yarn in plating relation with yarns from the lowermost and intermediate ledges entering the sinker throat and the yarn from the uppermost ledge passing over the sinker nebs when the sinkers are in another position. 

1. In a knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with vertically movable needles, and means adjacent the cylinder top defining a yarn-feeding station, improved yarn-feeding means at the yarn-feeding station comprising, a throat plate fixed to the machine at the yarn-feeding station and having a plurality of at least three vertically spaced yarn-feeding ledges, a passageway vertically through the forward portion of the throat plate and opening to the front of the throat plate adjacent the needles and to the yarn-feeding ledges, and yarn-delivery means movable into and from the passageway and having yarn outlets at spaced vertical levels, with one of the outlets being above each of the yarn-feeding ledges of the throat plate when the yarn-delivery means is positioned in the throat plate passageway, said ledges being symmetrical about the passageway to provide vertically spaced ledges on opposite sides of the passageway for locating yarn fed upon rotation of the cylinder in either direction.
 2. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 1 wherein, the yarn-feeding ledges of the throat plate terminate at their side edges remote from the passageway in yarn-guiding notches in which yarns travelling from the yarn-delivery means to the cylinder needles rUn to maintain the yarns at spaced levels.
 3. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 2 wherein, the yarn-delivery means is a single yarn-feeding finger.
 4. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 3 wherein, the yarn-feeding finger has an arm pivoted on the knitting machine and a head at the free end of the arm, the head having yarn-guiding openings extending vertically therethrough aligned longitudinally of the head, with each of the openings terminating at the bottom at a different level to provide the vertically spaced yarn outlets.
 5. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 4 wherein, the yarn finger has a front face which is stepped to provide stepped feed levels to which the yarn-guiding openings open respectively.
 6. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 5 wherein, ledges of the throat plate and the stepped feed levels of the yarn finger are vertically spaced in the same order.
 7. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 1, and further including a dial, a plurality of needles mounted for radial movement in said dial, said throat plate having a portion projecting downwardly below the level of travel of the dial needles, said throat plate defining a recess therein for receiving the dial needles during dial rotation to prevent the dial needles from striking the throat plate downwardly projecting portion.
 8. In a knitting machine as claimed in claim 7, wherein said recess comprises a horizontally extending groove for receiving the hooks of the dial needles.
 9. In a knitting machine having a rotatable cylinder with vertically movable needles, sinkers horizontally movable radially between the needles and having a yarn throat and upper neb, and means adjacent the cylinder top defining a yarn-feeding station, improved yarn-feeding means at the yarn-feeding station comprising, a throat plate fixed to the machine at the yarn-feeding station and having three vertically spaced yarn-feeding ledges, and means to deliver yarn at each of the three throat plate ledges for feeding to the needles, the vertical spacing of the ledges causing yarn fed from the lowermost ledge to approach the needles at a low elevation, yarn fed from the uppermost ledge to approach the needles at a high elevation, and yarn fed from the intermediate ledge to approach the needles at an intermediate elevation, with the three yarns as they approach the needles lying in a common plane diverging upwardly from the needles, whereby the needles when moved down will align the yarns in plating relation for entry into the sinker throat when the sinkers are in one position, and align the yarn in plating relation with yarns from the lowermost and intermediate ledges entering the sinker throat and the yarn from the uppermost ledge passing over the sinker nebs when the sinkers are in another position. 